


third time's a charm

by likeuwuahh



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, exes to lovers lowkey, thank you cali for lending me this prompt, was meant to be fluff but has some angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 11:59:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18475783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/likeuwuahh/pseuds/likeuwuahh
Summary: nayeon fails her driving test twice, so jeongyeon suggests that she message a driving instructor that can help her in her next test. turns out the instructor is none other than her ex, minatozaki sana





	third time's a charm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NabongsBunny](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NabongsBunny/gifts).



> for cali!! hope you like it >.<

There was a time where Nayeon thought that driving would be the easiest thing for her to master in the world. All you have to do is steer the wheel and press your foot on the brakes and speed pedals (definitely not at the same time). It takes her a while to realise that there’s more to the art of driving than she ever could have expected.

When she feels like she’s ready for her first test, Nayeon really doesn’t feel confident at all. Her hands shake when she holds the steering wheel and she almost forgets to let go of the handbrake. The entire time, she’s overthinking and she makes a mistake she immediately knows will equal to a fail.

“How did you go?”

“Failed. I forgot there was a speed limit in the school zone... and maybe I ran a red light?”

The second time around, Nayeon’s confidence is stable. She thinks she knows her routes well and she’s really been practicing her curb side parking. She still bumps into the side of the road once in a while but it’s a lot less compared to her first test. She hasn’t focused too much on reverse parking because she’s way too terrified she’ll crash into the car behind her. Everything goes well in her test until she’s told to park.

It’s a reverse parking.

Generally, there are five chances to fix your parking after getting it along the curb. Nayeon is still struggling after her fifth and it’s definitely a fail.

She doesn’t usually feel disappointed but this time, Nayeon can’t help the tears brim in her eyes after her second failure. She’s doing her best yet she always makes a silly mistake that costs her a chance to get her license.

“Did you pass?”

“I failed.”

Jeongyeon sighs at the small bump in the massive bed of Nayeon’s room. She’s covered herself with a blanket and Jeongyeon is well aware of what Nayeon is doing. It’s not a big thing if you fail a driving test. It happens all the time. But they’re not Nayeon, who takes each failure in her life as a chance to critique herself and her abilities. Today, Jeongyeon will not let that happen. She crawls onto Nayeon’s bed and peels the covers off her best friend slowly, ignoring her whines. Nayeon tries to push her away but Jeongyeon doesn’t let her, tugging her arm and pulling her into a hug.

“You did your best, okay? And you already know all the basics. The third time will be the charm.” Jeongyeon attempts to motivate her best friend. “Look, it’s not like I passed on my first test either. It happens. Sometimes it’s just tricky. I know you have it in you!”

Nayeon remains reticent about her feelings and the quietness scares Jeongyeon a little bit. She’s not used to Nayeon keeping her mouth shut, even when she’s upset. She always expresses her frustrations and cries her eyes out but Nayeon is silent.

“Do you really think I can do it?” Nayeon’s voice almost disappears with the wind of the circulating fan and Jeongyeon just manages to hear it.

“I know you can. And you know what, I think what you need is a driving instructor.” Jeongyeon suggests. Nayeon is about to argue against it but Jeongyeon shakes her head. “I don’t mean it in the sense that you don’t know how to drive. But driving instructors can help you before the final test. They know the routes around the area and the specific skills the testing officials look for. Think of it as a final revision for the test.”

“No.” Nayeon doesn’t like the thought of being taught by anyone she doesn’t trust.

“It’s a friend of mine. It’s fine to trust her. She won’t drive you into a wall.” Jeongyeon rolls her eyes. “And she’s actually an official tester too, so you’ll be fine in her hands.”

Nayeon grumbles because she’s always aware that Jeongyeon knows her better than she knows herself. And, if she’s saying this instructor will be able to help her, Nayeon believes Jeongyeon. Her decision making isn’t anywhere near as terrible as Nayeon’s, so she agrees to make a deal with the devil.

Jeongyeon’s face immediately lights up when Nayeon agrees and she pulls her best friend into a bear hug she struggles to breathe in. Nayeon groans but ends up laughing because Jeongyeon is squealing out of happiness.

“I’m proud of you. I really don’t want you to give up!” Jeongyeon explains her heightened emotions. “Also, the girl’s name is Minatozaki Sana.”

Nayeon’s smile fades slightly, but she keeps it up because she doesn’t want to cause Jeongyeon to suspect her change in feelings. She ignores the pressing feeling at the back of the brain; she suppresses the sneaky memory that attempts to escape. Still, there are flashes of pinks and reds with specks of gold and silver, moments she shared with someone she deemed dear to her.

Hugs and cuddles. Kisses. Tender touches. Fond gazes. Love-filled gestures. Promises.

Broken promises.

Relationships strain. Couples can become strangers.

Maybe a part of Nayeon never expected it to happen to her and Sana out of all the people in the world.

“– are you even listening to me, Nayeon?” Jeongyeon waves her hand in front of Nayeon’s face and she smiles apologetically. Jeongyeon sighs but flicks Nayeon’s forehead. “I was saying, I’ll message you her number right now, okay? No going back on this.”

Nayeon bites her tongue when she gets the contact information from Jeongyeon. Her number is still the same and Nayeon never really changed her name on her phone. It’s still there, with the heart and all. The _satang_ throws her off more than she expects and she really just wants to back out of the decision she just made. She doesn’t know if she’ll be able to sit through lessons with Sana again – or act normal as if nothing had ever happened.

But, she refuses to see disappointment in Jeongyeon’s eyes, especially because she’s constantly been encouraging Nayeon to make all the right choices in her life. Nayeon types up a message and sends it through without thinking twice.

**010-959-1209 [6:42pm]**

**Hello, this is Nayeon. Jeongyeon gave me your number.**  
**I was wondering if I could get some driving lessons from**  
**you?**

Nayeon doesn’t want to check her phone for hours. She doesn’t even want to look at it. She throws it under her pillow and spends time with Jeongyeon instead, thanking her for the contact with a hug and sloppy kisses.

The test she failed is a forgotten memory as Jeongyeon cheers her up with her lame jokes for the rest of the night, along with watching one of Nayeon’s favourite movies.

She only checks her phone for the time, not because she’s expecting a response from Sana. But the notification light haunts Nayeon and it becomes an itch she needs to see to and she clicks on the text message that Sana sends her.

**Satang <3 [8:21pm]**

**Nayeon? You want driving lessons? Are you sure**  
**you want to take those from me? Wait, there’s**  
**no problem with that or anything. I just wanted**  
**to double check. When are you free to take the**  
**first lesson with me? Where should I pick you up?**

Nayeon snorts at Sana’s lack of subtlety. She still rambles just like when they were together and there’s a tug in her chest, a familiar feeling she didn’t think she’d experience again. It’s already well after ten but Nayeon still replies to the message because it’s the decent thing to do. She’s not in any hurry to see Sana, but she’s in a hurry to get her license.

**010-959-1209 [10:12pm]**

**It’s fine. I just need a few of them anyway.**  
**I live with Jeongyeon, so I’m sure you have**  
**her address? If you need me to send it, let**  
**me know. Does tomorrow work? 11am?**  
**I can work with a later time if not.**

**Satang <3 [10:15pm]**

**Sounds good. I’ll meet you at 11am tomorrow  
then… at Jeongyeon’s place. See you later.**

**010-995-1209 [10:16pm]**

Draft: **_Sleep well_**

Nayeon erases her message and pretends she didn’t just consider sending it to her. It’s all just too familiar. Too much of a routine. She’s not even focusing on the movie they’re watching anymore because she’s distracted by the thought of meeting Sana tomorrow. Years later.

Instead, she tells Jeongyeon she wants to sleep and informs her about the lesson she’ll be taking the next day. Jeongyeon laughs at her but pats her head, wishing her luck. Nayeon contemplates asking her to tag along to her lesson but she doesn’t want to terrify Jeongyeon with her poor driving skills.

\--

The alarm Nayeon sets is for ten in the morning but she’s already awake an hour before. She’s awfully nervous about meeting Sana again. She doesn’t know what she’ll say or how to act or whether to pretend like she has no idea who Sana is at all. She’s a panicked mess and as each minute passes, she feels like she’s closer to her doom.

Nayeon stays lost in thought for longer than she expects. She realises this because her phone buzzes on the kitchen table and it’s Sana who’s calling. She doesn’t check the time and assumes that Sana is about to cancel on her but basically bolts out of the door when she realises it’s already eleven. She curses herself as she exits her apartment and doesn’t realise that Sana is staring at her in amusement.

“Do you want to drive from here or should I take you to a quieter place?” Sana asks as soon as Nayeon reaches her car.

Redness spreads over Nayeon’s cheeks as she misinterprets Sana’s question and Sana frowns in confusion before picking up on her poor choice of wording.

“I mean, a less busy place.” Sana clears her throat.

“I can drive from here.” Nayeon nods.

She almost doesn’t hear it. Actually, Nayeon thinks she’s clearly hearing things. It’s more of a low mumble. But she’s always been able to hear Sana.

_“It’s good to see you.”_

Nayeon tries to not let it get to her and struggles. She’s basically about to break the seatbelt from pulling so hard because it’s not budging.

(or, she’s just too frustrated that Sana’s throwing her off-guard)

“Pull it gently.” Sana’s soft voice relaxes Nayeon immediately.

“Where are we going?” Nayeon asks.

“What do you need help with?” Sana doesn’t let Nayeon drive off yet. Nayeon rolls her eyes when Sana places her hand over the gear stick.

“Just reverse parking, mainly. And knowing the routes of the test.” Nayeon answers truthfully.

“Alright. Let’s do a test drive and I’ll see how you go.” Sana nods, taking her hand off the gear stick.

Nayeon doesn’t realise that Sana is observing her every move. She notices the mistakes and the little things she misses out on when she turns or when she merges. There’s a lot she needs to talk about and she doesn’t know where to start. Nayeon doesn’t hold the steering wheel right. She doesn’t look over her shoulder before she changes lanes. She doesn’t check her rear-view mirror. She crosses the line at traffic lights. Sana hopes that Nayeon doesn’t take this as intense criticism because all she’s trying to do is help.

She takes it as an attack on her driving.

“Just because I failed the driving test twice, it doesn’t mean I’m completely useless. I know what I’m doing. I do all of those things. When Jeongyeon told me to trust you, I thought it would be fine but you’re just nit-picking on everything I’m doing!” Nayeon growls at Sana when they reach her apartment again.

“It’s my job and duty to point these things out Nayeon. I observed you the entire ride and these are the things you need to work on. I’m not attacking you.” Sana attempts to convey her feedback correctly.

“Ha. Why did I let you hurt me again?” Nayeon’s voice wavers. “Of course, I shouldn’t have expected things to change.”

She doesn’t expect to see the pain in Sana’s eyes when she blurts out her feelings and the guilt of her accusation hits her moments later. But, the damage is done and Sana smiles at her as if she hadn’t just been on the verge of falling apart because of her words. Nayeon is about to apologise but Sana walks away instead, walking back to her car.

Her voice gets stuck in her throat as Sana drives away.

\--

Nayeon completely forgets that she didn’t even pay Sana for her lesson. She realises that her reaction to Sana’s feedback was laced with the pain and hurt from their past and Nayeon feels completely stupid.

The next time she tries to drive, it’s with her mom. She thinks about everything Sana pointed out in their lesson and her mom even notices the change. She comments about feeling safer being in the car with Nayeon. Now, the guilt in her heart heightens because she remembers the look in Sana’s eyes as she disregarded her feedback and then proceeded to accuse her of something she didn’t mean.

She needs to fix things. Apologise. So, she calls Sana for another lesson. Nayeon expects to be shot down immediately.

But Sana says yes.

Sana is there, waiting for Nayeon as she leans against her car. She’s as beautiful as always, serious and refusing to make eye contact with Nayeon this time. Nayeon’s hands turn clammy and she shakes them off discreetly. Sana’s about to sit inside her car when Nayeon reaches out to stop her, holding her arm. She raises an eyebrow at Nayeon’s grip but sighs defeatedly, waiting for her to explain why she’s being held.

“I want to apologise. I was out of line last week. I’m sorry Sana.” Nayeon rushes out in one breath. The look of shock on Sana’s face confuses her. Is it that surprising that she apologised for doing the wrong thing? She also hands Sana a brown paper bag and the girl frowns, opening it to see her favourite treats inside.

“I’m surprised you still remember my favourites.” Sana mumbles, cradling the bag with so much care, it melts Nayeon’s heart all over again. “And, it’s fine. All good. I’m sorry too. I should’ve been clearer at the start. Let’s go?” She smiles before she sits in the car first.

Nayeon feels like a burden is lifted from her shoulders and she feels _happy_. Happy to be around Sana. Happy to have made her smile. She’s distracted when she starts driving and Sana clucks her tongue at her.

“Hands at ten and two, look behind your shoulder before moving out of a spot. Keep that in mind.” Sana chuckles when Nayeon whines at the fact that she’s already making mistakes. “You’ll get the hang of it soon.”

\--

Nayeon doesn’t realise that they’re slowly falling back into their old habits again. Sana holds her hand in the car, claiming it’s for safety purposes. Nayeon brings her breakfast, or lunch, depending on their lesson time, whenever they meet. It shifts to asking Sana to come over for dinner. Shifts further to cuddles on the couch, watching movies. Shifts to leaving shy kisses on each other’s cheeks.

They’re falling again, together.

The only thing missing really, is a label.

Jeongyeon is the one who brings it up. It’s not like she doesn’t pick up on the change of Nayeon’s mood when she comes back from a driving lesson. Of course, she’s incredibly happy for her best friend. But there’s uncertainty hovering over the duo and she takes it upon herself to be the one to drop the question.

“Nay, what are you two doing? Really? You told me that you weren’t sure if you wanted to be in a relationship after your last. But you two are acting like you’re in a relationship and I’m really confused.” Jeongyeon sits Nayeon down after a shared dinner.

“… Sana is that past relationship.” Nayeon pauses, letting Jeongyeon soak it in. “As for what we are now, we’re friends.”

“Friends who cuddle, kiss and hold hands.” Jeongyeon clarifies.

“Yes.”

“You fell in love with her again, right.”

“Yes.”

Nayeon brings her knees up to her chest and rests her chin on them. Jeongyeon sighs softly, understanding Nayeon’s predicament and throwing an arm around her, hugging tightly.

She really wants to hope that Sana loves her back.

\--

It’s the last lesson before Nayeon’s driving test the next day. Sana is impressed by how fast Nayeon has improved and she’s sure that Nayeon will pass the test tomorrow. Though, her mind is swamped by Nayeon and what they are. What they’re doing isn’t like normal friendships. Is it weird that they’ve reconnected a relationship which they believed would not be repairable? Sana lets out a heavy sigh but it quickly changes into a smile when she sees Nayeon exit her apartment.

The familiar feelings are stirring again. There’s comfort and happiness and so much love when she’s with Nayeon, it makes her question how she could’ve ever fallen _out_ of love with this girl.

Sana gets rid of her travelling thoughts and focuses on the final prep for Nayeon’s test.

“Ready for tomorrow?” Sana asks as soon as Nayeon starts the engine.

She doesn’t respond because she’s attentively steering out of the spot and Sana can’t help the pride from bubbling up in her chest. Nayeon is always adorable when she’s paying attention but even more when she’s listening to Sana.

“I think so. One of the best instructors has been teaching me, so I should be fine, right?” Nayeon teases, making Sana laugh.

“You’ve really improved. I’m proud of you.” Sana comments sincerely.

Nayeon grins, happiness radiating off her in waves and Sana gets caught up in a current of it too, smile never leaving her face as they continue on with their lesson.

When they reach Nayeon’s apartment again, Sana follows her to the door. She doesn’t know why she does it. Maybe because she’s still floating on the happiness that Nayeon shared with her earlier. She leans forward and places a gentle kiss on Nayeon’s cheek.

“All the best for tomorrow.” Sana’s voice is soft and smooth. She’s staring at Nayeon with that familiar fondness again – when they were together. She moves to leave but Nayeon tugs on her arm, pulling her around.

“Be there with me tomorrow?” Nayeon gnaws on her lip as she asks for the one thing she didn’t think she’d have the courage to. Sana smiles at her though and nods. Nayeon’s chest feels warm and that familiar feeling of love touches her all the way to her toes. In the moment of excitement, she plants her lips on Sana’s, before bolting inside her apartment.

She leaves a frozen Sana behind, completely shocked. But, that shock settles down and Sana almost screams out loud. She doesn’t notice Nayeon giggling at her from her room window, seeing her silly dance moves.

\--

Sana is outside Nayeon’s apartment earlier than needed. She’s partly scared and partly excited. The feeling of Nayeon’s lips on hers still lingers and she rarely slept at all the night before.

Nayeon walks out an hour later, on time and ready to go. She’s nervous about this test, her third test. People say that the third time is always the best, she’s hoping that’s true and that she’ll ace her exam today with flying colours. Sana rests her palm over Nayeon’s, squeezing lightly, reassuring, encouraging. Nayeon smiles at her in gratitude, glad for her presence today.

At the back of her mind, she’s still thinking about what they are. She thinks they should’ve clarified it before heading out to the test but Nayeon doesn’t know if she can do it at all. She’s fine with Sana holding her hand like this.

Sana doesn’t let go even when they enter the testing area. Nayeon makes her presence known to the testers before returning to Sana’s side.

“You’ll do well. You’ll ace this. I know it. You’ve improved so much. I know you can do it.” Sana encourages softly.

“You think so? Really?” Nayeon looks up to Sana with pleading eyes.

“Mhmm. You’ll kick ass.” Sana giggles. She thinks of a proposition. “If you pass, maybe you can be my girlfriend?”

“And if I fail?”

“Then you’ll still be my girlfriend.”

“That’s so useless. How is that meant to motivate me–”

Sana pecks Nayeon’s nose before leaving a chaste kiss on her forehead. Nayeon doesn’t complain about it. She encircles her arms around Sana’s waist and hugs her. She’s ready to do this test and when she’ll pass it.

(when she does, she’ll be the one asking Sana to be girlfriend)

Nayeon _does_ pass the third time. But maybe Sana reads her mind because she’s already asking Nayeon to be her girlfriend before she can get the words out of her mouth. She rolls her eyes at her, but agrees, kissing her softly, with newfound love.

Third time lucky with a test, second time lucky with Sana, perhaps the next time, she’ll be first time lucky in an achievement.

 

 

 

 

 

(first time lucky in proposing to Sana)

**Author's Note:**

> @likeuwuahh on twitter


End file.
